For our Sunderland vs. Birmingham prediction, we're going for a 1-0 win for the home side.
Sunderland continue their quest for a top six finish in the Championship as they face Birmingham City this weekend.
Sunderland currently sit 10th in the Championship with fifteen wins, thirteen draws and thirteen losses from forty-one games this season.
The Black Cats have had an excellent season in the Championship in light of promotion from League One last time out as they sit just four points outside of the play-offs with five games remaining.
They still have a fair bit of ground to make up but it's more than doable considering the inconsistencies of the chasing teams.
They're coming into this game amidst a mixed run of form having won one, drawn three and lost one of their last five matches, the most recent of which was a 1-0 win over Cardiff City.
Having won their most recent encounter there will be hope that they can kick on and put together a strong run during these last five games to force their way into the top six.
Their form at home is a worry here, though, with The Black Cats failing to win any of their last five games on home soil.
Sunderland desperately need to win this one given it's one of their easier remaining fixtures on paper if they are to stand any chance of gaining top six. They're favourites here but Birmingham are a potential banana skin opponent.
Birmingham City currently sit 17th in the Championship with thirteen wins, eleven draws and seventeen losses from forty-one games this season.
The Blues have had a very successful campaign given the circumstances as they were an almost unanimous pick for relegation coming into the season amidst tonne of off-field turmoil.
They're coming into this game in decent form, too, having won two and drawn two of their last four matches, the most recent of which was a 0-0 draw against Stoke City.
They've been very good defensively of late, too, having kept three clean sheets in their last four matches while conceding just one goal in that time too.
Their form away from home has been mixed of late having won one, drawn two and lost one of their last four games on the road.
The Blues were beaten 1-2 by Sunderland when the two sides met back in October so they'll hope to avoid a repeat result. They should make it competitive as they're proving tough to beat at the moment, but three points feels unlikely.
Don’t forget to check out the rest of our previews, tips and offers for this weekend’s action.